A Knight, A Bite, and a Lady in White
by charli911
Summary: Halloween brings out the strangest happenings for men of Station 51. Originally archived at Two Chickies


_**A KNIGHT, A BITE AND A LADY IN WHITE**_

by Charli911

"Emergency!" and its characters © Mark VII Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. No infringement of any copyrights or trademarks is intended or should be inferred. This is a work of fiction, and any similarity to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

Originally archived at Two Chickies

/

_**CHAPTER 1**_

"Morning Gage," Chet Kelly greeted him, as John Gage entered the fire station that morning.

"Hi, Chet," he replied.

"Do you know what day it is, Johnny?"

"Judging by the stupid mask you have on it must be Halloween. Oh, wait, I'm sorry, that's not a mask, that's your real face. My mistake."

"Funny, Gage, very funny," Chet told him, following his co-worker into the kitchen.

Johnny headed to the coffee pot, saying hello to Stoker, Lopez and his partner, Roy DeSoto along the way.

"It's gonna be a full moon tonight, Gage, and you know how things get during a full moon."

"What, Chet, all your relatives coming for a visit?"

The others chuckle at Johnny's remark, but Chet was still pretending to be serious.

"Gage, you have to understand the power of a full moon, especially when he comes on Halloween. It makes the spirit's powers that much more powerful."

"Spirits, Kelly? What spirits are you talking about?"

"The ghosts, Gage. All the creatures from the 'other side' will be out in full force tonight. You have to be prepared."

"The other side of what, Kelly? Burbank? The state? The ocean? What?"

"The afterlife, Gage...the netherworld.." Chet told him, his voice dropping to a whisper as he glanced around the room, "the dark side."

Marco looked up from his newspaper. "Yeah, Johnny you know, Darth Vader's coming for a visit."

Laughing, John looked at Marco, "See, I told you it was a visit from Chet's relatives."

Shaking his head, Chet replied, "You guys just don't understand. You'll see. Don't make fun of the spirits. They'll get you in the end. They are much more powerful than you are." And with that he turned and left the room, mumbling something about "feeling sorry for all you non-believers."

The remainder of the morning was somewhat uneventful, but they knew that the real work would begin after dark. There were always a lot of calls on Halloween. Kids getting hit by cars, drunks hurting themselves, fires starting because of a carelessly lit candle. It was always busy, and sometimes bizarre.

The men took the time to clean the station and finish any chores that needed to be done. Roy and Johnny headed to the hospital for extra supplies. They wanted to be ready for whatever might happen that night.

Kelly continued to speak of goblins and ghosts, witches and vampires. The others weren't sure if he really believed all that, or if he was just getting in the mood for the holiday. He had brought some decorations and planned on turning the station into a scary place for the hordes of kids who usually stopped by to trick-or-treat.

The parties were starting early that night. Just before dusk, the Rescue Squad pulled up in front a house and the two paramedics jumped out and began gathering their equipment. As they turned and headed up the walkway, a woman opened the door and stood on the porch, urging them to hurry. She was about 30 years old, had floor length dark hair and appeared to be

wearing...nothing!

Roy hesitated slightly at the sight of this naked woman, then continued up onto the porch. Johnny tripped up the steps, not able to take his eyes off the woman. As they got closer, though, they determined that she was wearing a body suit, much to the disappointment of John Gage. Roy, however was relieved. At least Johnny's mind would be on the patient and the woman wouldn't be a distraction to his partner...or to himself, he had to admit.

"What's the problem, Ma'am?" Roy asked, as they followed the woman through the house and into the back yard.

"I'm not really sure, he fell and just keeps moaning about how much pain he's in," she told him as she pointed the jungle gym and swing set at the far end of the yard.

"Okay, we'll take a look. Can you have someone wait out front for the ambulance?"

"I'll do it," she replied.

"Ah, Ma'am, no offense, but I think you might want to have someone else do it. If you stand out on the street, in that outfit, you may cause more accidents."

Looking down at herself, she smiled up at Roy. "You're probably right, sorry. I'll have one of the guys go out."

Roy turned to follow Johnny, who was already halfway across the yard. As he walked across the yard, they passed several other partygoers, all in costume. Little Bo Peep was there, as was Herman Munster. And Batman was holding hands with a witch. Sherlock Holmes was standing with a skeleton, and Dracula was cuddling up with Alice in Wonderland.

As they neared the jungle gym, they saw a woman crouching down on the ground beside what looked like a large metal statue. As they got closer, though, they could see that it was someone dressed in a full suit of armor. Gage knelt down next to the woman while Roy headed to the patient's other side. Johnny was trying to figure out how to take the man's pulse when Roy asked the woman what happened.

"Oh, Sir Lancelot here decided he was going to climb to the top of the jungle gym in order to address his minions," she said, her slurred voice dripping with sarcasm. "He started up the bars there and lost his balance, the fool. He landed here and hasn't moved an inch since then. Just keeps moaning about his back."

Johnny was leaning over the patient, trying to figure out how to remove the metal gloves from his hands, when the lady asked, "Well, aren't ya gonna help him?" and she turned to face him, hitting him in the face with her chest. And it was an ample chest, that threatened to spill out of the bodice of the medieval wench's outfit that she wore.

Startled, Johnny jerked back, staring at the woman's heaving bosom. Stifling a laugh at his partner's distress, Roy concentrated on the victim. Reaching down, he lifted the face plate that covered the man's face, relieved to see that he was conscious.

"Sir, what's your name?"

"I am Sir Albert," he said, his breath reeking of alcohol, pretending an air of dignity from his prone position.

"Sir Albert," Roy stated. "Right. Well, ah, 'Sir Albert', can you tell me where the pain is?"

"In my back, dear sir. Excrutiating pain in my back. I dare say, I shan't be able to move again."

"Well, why don't we just check you out here, and see what the doctors have to say about that, shall we?"

Roy began to look more closely at the costume, trying to determine the least painful way to remove it. Not seeing any obvious latches, he began to feel around on the side of the armor. Feeling a small indentation, he placed his finger in it and found a small bar. Pulling up on it, he felt it release. He unlatched the remainder of them, while listening to his partner trying to talk

to the drunk woman beside him, who had decided that Johnny was there for the party and not to help the injured man.

"Ma'am, please let go of me," he heard his partner say. Looking up, he noticed that the woman had locked her arms around Johnny's neck, her body flattened against his. In other circumstances, he knew Gage would be enjoying this, but they were on duty, and he was having a difficult time doing his job with the woman clutching at him.

Johnny grabbed the woman's arms, trying to disengage her from his neck, but not having much success.

"You are cute, do you know that?" she asked him, breathing into his face, reeking of booze.

"Yes, ma'am," Johnny told her, turning his face away to keep from passing out from the fumes. "Now, could you please let me go, so that I can help your friend here?"

Pouting, the woman released him, letting go so quickly, that she lost her balance and plopped down on her butt, which caused her to immediately start giggling. Johnny glanced at his partner and rolled his eyes, then helped Roy remove as much of the armor as they could without moving 'Sir Albert' too much.

The other partygoers had begun to gather around the paramedics and their patient, watching as they treated him. They were all chuckling at the antics of the drunk female, and none seemed too concerned about their injured friend. Johnny's drunk admirer could be heard making comments about "the cute fireman", but Gage was trying his best to ignore her. As they remove a last piece of their patient's costume, Johnny felt a hand stroking his hair. Turning around, he saw the inebriated woman behind him. He swatted her hand away and reached for the biophone, at the same time handing Roy the BP cuff.

DeSoto began talking vitals, while Johnny set up the biophone and contacted Rampart, still fighting off the wandering hands of the costumed wench. Gage relayed the vitals to Dr Brackett at the hospital, then reached for an IV, handing it to Roy to start.

He jerked his head around when he heard someone saying, "Hello, hello. I'm sorry, your party is not at home, please call back later." The drunk woman was holding the biophone receiver and Johnny heard Brackett's voice from the speaker.

"Who is this?! What are you doing on this equipment?"

"Shit!" Johnny exclaimed, snatching the phone from the woman.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51, sorry about that. We've got several intoxicated people here."

"10-4, 51, understood. How soon can you transport?"

"Ambulance just arrived, Rampart," Johnny told him, noticing the attendants wheeling the stretcher out of the house into the back yard. "Should be leaving here in about 3 minutes, ETA to hospital, about 11 minutes."

"10-4, 51. Keep me informed. And...try to keep the civilians away from the equipment," he said, his voiced amused, trying to imagine what the paramedics were dealing with.

"10-4 Rampart, I'll do my best," Gage said, replacing the receiver and turning to find the woman right behind him. She reached up and starting fiddling with the stethoscope that was hanging around his neck, placing the end on her chest.

"My heart beats for you, my handsome rescuer...save me, please!" she cried, giggling.

"Ma'am, please leave the equipment alone!" he told her, emphatically. He grabbed the stethoscope out of her hands, grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face the house. He gently nudged her away, "Go sit on the deck and stay out of the way," he ordered her. She stomped off, got about 10 feet, than stumbled and fell to the ground. She rolled over onto her back and stared at the stars, making lewd remarks about playing doctor with a certain fireman.

Johnny turned back and helped Roy get 'Sir Albert' onto a backboard, which Roy had retrieved from the squad, then they lifted him on the stretcher. Since Roy would be riding in with the knight, it was left to Johnny to pick up the extra equipment. As he was leaving to get in the squad and followed Roy to Rampart, the obnoxious woman jumped up from the ground and

blocked his way.

"Hey, handsome," she said, swaying back and forth, and trying to focus on his face. "If I fall to the ground at your feet, with you perform mouth-to-mouth on me?"

"No ma'am, sorry. Not unless your heart stops when you fall."

"Partypooper," she said, as Gage walked around her and out to the squad. As he climbed in, he glanced back over toward the house, where all the guests were standing on the porch waving at the ambulance as it drove away.

"Damn, I hate Halloween," he mumbled to himself, putting the squad in gear and following 'Sir Albert' to the hospital.

Just minutes later, Gage walked down the hall toward the nurse's desk. Seeing his partner talking to Dixie McCall and Dr. Kelly Brackett, he joined them. Dixie smiled at him as he walked up and came around from behind the desk. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "OOOOHHH! It's that cute fireman!"

Gage glared at his partner, who had obviously relayed the story about Johnny's scantily clad admirer to the ER staffers.

"So, Johnny," teased Brackett, "I hear the woman at this party was all over you and you kept pushing her away. That doesn't sound like the John Gage we all know and love."

"That woman was plastered, Doc. She couldn't even stand up. I like my woman sober, thank you very much!" Thinking a moment, he continued, "She sure looked good in that outfit though, huh, Roy? Dix, you should get an outfit like that. It'd look great on you and think of the morale boost it would give your patients. Not to mention the doctors and paramedics!"

Brackett raised his eyebrows at Gage's suggestion, envisioning his favorite nurse in the outfit that Roy had described. Dixie, however, just grimaced at Johnny and smacked him on the arm.

"OWWWW!" he cried, rubbing the spot she'd hit.

"John Gage, you are incorrigible," she told him, with a hint of a smile. Although she wouldn't be caught dead in an outfit like that, it was nice to know that someone still thought she'd look good in it. She secretly thanked him for that, but she wasn't about to tell him out loud.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," John insisted, seeing the small smile on Dixie's face and giving her one of his own lopsided grins. Her smiled widened, and she shook her head at him, getting a wink in return.

"Squad 51, what's your status?" squawked the radio.

Pulling the handi-talkie from his jacket pocket, Roy keyed the mic. "Squad 51, available."

"10-4, 51...standby for a dispatch."

Gage pulled out his pen and a small notebook, preparing to jot down the location of the call.

"Squad 51, Engine 51, Engine 10, house fire, 2389 Graham St, 2-3-8-9- Graham St, cross street Magnolia, time out 1732."

"Squad 51, 10-4," Roy acknowledge the call. He and Johnny waved goodbyes at Dixie and Brackett and jogged out to the squad, listening as the other units answered up.

As the Squad pulled up in front of the address, they saw that Engine 51 was already on scene, but they didn't see any flames or smoke. The firemen were exiting the engine, looking around to see if they saw any indication of fire from any other houses on the street as Johnny and Roy joined them. Stanley picked up the mic, and radioed dispatch to verify the location and make a call back to the complaintant if necessary.

"Roy, John, go knock on the door, see if anybody's home," Stanley instructed them.

Gage and DeSoto were a few feet up the sidewalk, when a huge flame flared up from the rear of the house.

"Marco, Kelly! Pull an inch-and-a-half!" Cap yelled, as Roy and Johnny ran around the rear of the house, buckling up their turnout coats. As they rounded the corner of the house, they stopped dead in their tracks and stared at the scene in front of them.

Stanley was a few feet behind them, and had the same reaction, but his was followed by an exclamation. "What the HELL is going on here?!" he yelled.

Two men were in the back yard, one a huge piece of black material. He had a large metal cannisters on one arm, and some kind of tank strapped to his back. His arms were pointed up in the air, and from the end of one came a 30 foot flame. The other man was wearing what appeared to be a long black reptilian tail. As the Captain bellowed at them, the flame died down, as if extinguished by the noise.

The second man was standing behind the first, a screwdriver in his hand, adjusting something on the tank strapped to the first man's back. He stopped in mid motion at hearing Stanley loud voice.

For a long moment, no one moved or spoke. Then Stanley took several steps closer to the two young men, who swallowed hard as he approached. "What... are ...you... doing?" he asked, a bit more quietly, but pointedly, this time.

The men exchanged a glance, then looked at the ground, not wanting to face the ire of this man standing before them.

"I asked you a question," Stanley said, placing his hands on his hips, like an impatient father.

The man with the screwdriver cleared his throat, chancing a quick look at Stanley's face, then giving a faltering smile. "Well...ah...it's our..ah...our Halloween costume," he said, lamely.

Calmly, Stanley walked around the two men, looking at the contraption strapped to the first man's back. The other fireman were smiling now, aware that when their Captain got that quiet, you'd better stay out of his way. They stayed where they were, talking quietly amongst themselves, waiting for the explosion, glad it was directed at someone else for a change.

"A Halloween costume," Stanley remarked, monotone. "Halloween costume?" this time a question. He looked again at the two men standing in front of him, shaking his head. "What are you supposed to be?"

Encouraged by the calm that had come over the Captain, the first man smiled. "We're gonna be a fire-breathing dragon!" he exclaimed, like it was the best idea that ever hit the world.

"Dragon...a fire...breathing ...dragon..." Stanley stated. He briefly closed his eyes, mumbled something neither could understand. "Help me Lord," he said, looking at the sky. Then he looked back at the two men. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FEEBLE LITTLE MINDS!?" he bellowed.

The two men took a step back, reacting to the sudden change in the Cap's demeanor. But as they stepped back, he stepped forward, closing the space between them.

Kelly and Gage, unable to stifle their laughter any longer, ran back around the side of the house. They didn't want to bring their Captain's anger down on them, after all. Roy and Marco stood their ground, but turned their backs on the Captain, their shoulders shaking with the laughter they hid behind their hands covering their mouths.

The Captain's tirade lasted a good three minutes, by which time Engine 10 had arrived on scene. Captain Masters and his men joined Kelly and Gage, who explained the situation to them. Masters joined Stanley and stonily added his own commentary without actually saying a word. He just stood a few feet to the side, his arms crossed against his chest, shaking his head at the two men as they received the verbal onslaught from Stanley.

Hank Stanley turned to his fellow Captain. "Carl, can you please relieve these gentleman of their little toy. I don't think I really want to deal with them any longer."

"I'd be happy to Hank. We'll make them come over to Station 10 to pick it up."

"What do you mean, pick it up?" asked the man strapped to the tank.

Stanley spun around, but Masters placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's okay, Hank, I'll explain the situation to them."

Stanley nodded at Carl, then, still shaking his head in disbelief, he joined his men and they headed back to their vehicles. Stanley notified dispatch of the situation and advised them that Engine 51 and the squad were available.

Later, the paramedics were sent on a call for a woman down. They recognized the address, not because they had been there before, but because the house was an old Victorian mansion that would have been right at home in any horror movie. They had passed this particular dwelling often during their careers at Station 51, and invariably one of them would comment on the fact that many people believed the house to be haunted. The owners were an eccentric couple in their fifties, who kept to themselves and were seldom seen in public.

As they approached the door, it slowly began to open, creaking on rusty hinges. They stepped through the door, expecting to see someone on the other side, but the place appeared deserted.

"Hello, Fire Department," Roy called, his voice echoing in the cavernous space. "Fire Department, we got a call about a woman down," he tried again. Suddenly a cold breeze swept through the entryway, and the door slammed shut behind them.

The spun around, both ready to bolt back outside, when they heard a man's voice from down the hall. "Down this way, gentleman, straight down the hallway, please."

Glancing in the direction of the voice, they could vaguely see an elderly man gesturing to them. Quickly exchanging looks, they headed down the hall, Gage pushing Roy ahead of him. DeSoto hesitantly went ahead, looking over his shoulder at his partner, signalling for him to proceed. Johnny just shook his head and pushed Roy again. Swallowing, DeSoto continued their trek into the depths of the dark, eerie passageway.

The floor boards moaned as they made their way to where the man stood in the doorway of a large bedroom. Inside the room was a massive bed made of mahogany, with four large bedposts , reaching almost all the way up the the high ceiling. A canopy of gossamer swung between the posts and cascaded down the sides, puddling on the floor. The room was dimly lit, most of the light coming from the flames in an enormous fireplace along the left side of the room. But the fire didn't diminish the chill they felt as they walked toward the bed.

The man walked ahead of them, and pulled aside the covering, revealing a gaunt woman laying on the bed. She was pale and didn't appear to be breathing. As Roy reached to take her pulse, she let out a quiet gasp, startling him momentarily. His hand was shaking slightly as he grasped her wrist. Her pulse was weak, but steady. Johnny handed him a BP cuff and stethoscope and began to set up the biophone. Roy pulled out his penlight and leaned over to check the woman's pupils.

Suddenly she sat up, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down. He felt a sharp pain on the side of his neck and let out a yelp.

"Roy!" cried Gage, spinning around to see what was wrong.

"Get her off me! She's biting me!" Roy yelled.

Johnny rushed to the bed and tried to pulled the woman away. The elderly man just stood across the room and watched. Johnny pleaded with him to help. "Sir, could you give me hand here! She 's hurting him!"

"He'll be okay. It'll only take a minute," the man replied, calmly.

"What will only take a minute?!" Johnny cried, exasperated, as the woman finally released Roy and collapsed back onto her pillow.

Roy stumbled to his feet and back away from the bed, his hand on his neck.

Johnny grabbed his hand and pulled it away from his neck, his eyes widening when he saw blood dripping from what appeared to be two puncture marks on the side of Roy's neck.

Keeping an eye on the two occupants of the room, Johnny's examined the wound and placed a bandage on it, telling Roy to hold it in place until the bleeding stopped. As Johnny went back over to the bed to check the woman, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled.

"Alexander, you didn't tell me that we had company. I would have dressed for our guests."

Johnny looked at her in disbelief, then glanced at the man, his mouth open in shock.

"I'm sorry, Millicent, but you were sleeping so soundly, that I didn't want to wake you. The gentlemen can't stay long. You just go back to sleep, dear."

"Yes, dear, I think I will. I'm still rather tired. Goodnight, gentlemen," she said, as she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Smiling affectionately at his Millicent, Alexander lifted his arms out at his sides. "Thank you gentlemen, for coming. She appears to be feeling better."

"Yeah, but I'm not," Roy said, checking to see if the bleeding had slowed.

"I am sorry about that, but sometimes Millicent has very vivid dreams. Alas, the poor dear never seems to remember them when she awakes, however. You can understand that I didn't want to upset her by mentioning what she did. Thank your for examining her."

"We didn't finish the exam, sir," Johnnny reminded him.

"Oh, but she's doing much better now, as you can see for yourself," he explained, gesturing to his sleeping wife. "I'll have Jenkinson see you out." He reached over on the nightstand on pushed a button. As Johnny went to retrieve their equipment, and part of the wall opposite the fireplace opened, revealing a room on the other side. A tall, skeletal looking man walked through, but Johnny ignored him, his eyes riveted on what was in the room behind the man.

Two coffins sat side by side, both bronze colored with white satin inside. Candles lit the room, causing spooky shadows to dance across the stark white. Johnny's view of the room was suddenly obscured as the man, Jenkinson, walked up to him, raising an arm and pointing out the door to the hallway. Johnny looked up at the man, and up, and up.. he must be seven foot tall, Johnny thought, as he stared into dark, cold eyes.

He took a step back, and another, until he bumped into his partner. Johnny spun around, relieved to find Roy there and not Alexander. "Ah...Roy...I think we should go now."

"We need to get the form signed first," Roy told him, still angry that he'd been bitten by the old woman.

"Form?" Johnny asked, confusion now mixed with fear.

"Yeah, the release form, since she's refusing further treatment. You know, the form."

"Oh, the form, yeah, well..ah...why don't you take care of that..and..ah..then let's get the heck outta here," he finished in a whisper.

Roy asked Alexander to wake his wife so she could sign the form, and then he and Johnny left the house, Johnny almost running to get out. Slamming the compartment doors, Gage jumped into the squad, impatiently waiting for Roy to come around the the driver's door.

As DeSoto got in and put the key in the ignition, Gage kept checking over his shoulder, watching the door, expecting it to open and Jenkinson to come after them. "C'mon, Roy, let's go. Let's go!"

"What's your hurry, Johnny?"

"Let's just get out of here!"

Roy narrowed his eyes and stared at his partner. Chalking it up to the general goofiness that was Johnny Gage, he started the squad and pulled out of the long circular driveway.

As soon as they left the gates behind them, Johnny relaxed. Looking over at his partner, he could still see the mark on his neck. "You know, Roy, we should really get that looked at. Maybe we should swing by Rampart on the way back."

Reaching a hand up to touch the spot, Roy frowned. "Yeah, you're probably right." Shaking his head, he told his partner "I still can't believe she bit me. How am I going to explain this to Joanne?"

"Easy, Roy," Johnny told him, "just tell her you got bit by a vampire."

Roy laughed and looked over at Gage, sure he was joking, but the look on Johnny's face told him that the man sitting beside him was dead serious. "Johnny, I'm not gonna tell her that."

"Why not, Roy, it's true!"

"Vampires don't exist, Junior."

"Then you tell me what that was all about. She bit you on the neck Roy, and you've got two puncture wounds there."

"You're letting your imagination, not to mention Chet's imagination, run wild."

"This has nothing to do with Chet. Okay, so you think the bite marks are just coincidence. Well, then, how do you explain the coffins in that secret room."

"What coffins? What secret room?"

"Roy, the room behind the wall. That servant guy came through the wall, and there was a little room back there with two coffins in it!"

"The servant came into the bedroom through a doorway, Johnny. And I didn't see any coffins."

"Are you blind?! They were right there, in plain sight."

"Johnny, I wasn't as close to the room as you, I didn't see any coffins. But I did see a door there. I think you're just letting the holiday get to you."

Gage was quiet for several minutes, glancing periodically at his partner.

"Are you sure you didn't see any coffins?"

"I'm sure."

"It sure looked like coffins to me," he muttered, shaking his head.

Roy did have a lot of explaining to do, but not to Joanne. Try explaining those kind of marks to Dr. Brackett and Dixie McCall. But when Dixie found out who did the biting, she let the guys in on a little secret. Apparently she was familiar with Millicent and Alexander Thornbush. Both were truly eccentric, multi-millionaires, who just loved having fun on Halloween. They had been silent film stars, mostly in horror films and had purchased the mansion because of the way it looked. There really was a secret room complete with coffins. No one was quite sure why they were there, but when it came to people with a lot of money, nobody really cared. Johnny relaxed when he realized that he hadn't been seeing things after all.

The Thornbush's usually threw a Halloween party at the big mansion, but Dixie told them that she heard that Millicent had been sick recently. So they probably had decided to skip it this year, and this was just their way of keeping the fun going. After closely examining the wounds, Brackett had determine that the marks hadn't been made by a human bite, so Millicent must have used something else to make the marks. The wounds were small. Brackett cleaned them up, and put a bandage on them, and sent the guys on their way.

After they got done at the hospital, they returned to the station. The Engine crew wasn't in quarters when they got back, but returned a few minutes later. Johnny and Roy were sitting at the table, discussing Millicent, when the crew walked in.

As they entered the kitchen at the station, Roy pulled on his collar, hoping to hide the white bandage that covered the bite marks. He just hoped his partner would keep his mouth shut about what happened. He should have know better.

"So, Gage, have you been fighting with the ghosts and goblins all night?" Chet asked.

"No, Chet, no ghosts, no goblins. Just a vampire or two."

"Yeah, right, Gage," Chet replied.

Johnny winked at Roy, turning in his chair to talk to Kelly, who had headed for the coffee pot. "No, really, Chet. We got a called for a woman down. Turns out the lady and her husband are vampires. Coffins in the back room and everything. She even took a bite outta Roy's neck."

"Johnny, don't get him started..."Roy began, but Chet was already at his side, checking out the bandage covering the wound.

"Roy, man, are you okay? You look a little pale."

DeSoto gave his partner a look that said _thanks a bunch for getting me involved in this. _Then he turned to Chet. "Kelly, she didn't really bite me. It was a gag. Junior, there, is just trying to mess with your mind."

Hesitating just slightly, looking once more at the bandage on Roy's neck, Chet went back to fixing his coffee. "Yeah, I figured it was something like that. Hey, you don't think I can sniff out a Gage joke from a mile away?" he said with uncertain gusto, trying to convince himself as well as everyone else. "It'll be a cold day in, well you know where, when Gage can put one over

on Chet Kelly."

Johnny grinned at the others, who busted out laughing. "Chet, you thought he'd really been bitten by a vampire, admit it," Johnny insisted.

"Aw, Gage, I knew it was just one of your gags. I was just playing along to get your goat."

"Yeah, okay, Chet, if you say so."

The rest of the night was pretty routine...for Halloween. They responded to several more calls of drunk partygoers being injured, or passing out from alcohol consumption. They took one boy to the hospital after he was hit crossing the street in search of more candy. And the station responded to a house fire, when some delinquents decided to try to burn down the house of the recluse who didn't open his door for trick-or-treaters. The man wasn't hurt and the police

were able to catch the juveniles. They settled in, hoping that they could get some sleep that night. But the spirits weren't quite done with them yet.

They were driving down the road, trying to locate the turnoff for the address they needed to find. They had a report of a man having trouble breathing, but it was a in a somewhat rural area, and there were not many road markers around. They finally found the mailbox they had been told to look for and turned up the dirt driveway.

As they reached the house, nestled in the trees, they could see a man sitting on the porch, waving at them, clutching his chest. Roy DeSoto stopped the squad. He and his partner hopped from the vehicle, grabbing their equipment from the compartments on the side of the squad, and hurrying over to the man on the porch.

"Did you see her?" the man asked as the walked up.

"See who, sir?" Roy inquired, as Johnny took hold of the man's wrist in order to check his pulse.

"The lady in white!" he replied, his eyes wide.

"No, we didn't see anybody coming in, sir," Roy told him. "Do you know this lady?"

"No...oh no,no, no...she's been dead over a hundred years!"

"Dead?!" exclaimed Gage, stealing a quick glance around as he reached for the BP cuff. He looked up at Roy, saw him roll his eyes. _Mental case_ he was thinking, _just what we need_.

"Yeah," the man was continuing, "she's a ghost. Been hauntin' these hills for years. This is the first time I've seen her, though. I rent this place for my vacation, so I'm only here a few weeks out of the year. I came out to get some firewood and saw her standing in the woods over there," he said, gesturing toward the trees lining the drive.

Johnny and Roy continued to take the man's vitals as he rambled on about his ghostly visitor. "Boy, oh, boy, when I saw her, I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. And then these pains started, and I couldn't catch my breath."

"Sir, we're going to hook you up to a heart monitor so that the doctors at Rampart Hospital can take a look and see how you're doing," Roy explained to him as he took out the leads and cables and began attaching them to the patients chest. "What's your name?"

"Herbert, Herbert Mason," he was told.

After contacting Rampart, the doctors deciding to have Mr. Mason transported in so they could get a look at him. The ambulance arrived about 5 minutes later and Mason was placed on a stretcher. "Wait!" he called. "What about my house?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Mason, I'll close it up tight for you," Johnny assured him.

"Oh, okay, my keys are on the hook by the door. I won't be able to get back in without them."

"I'll be sure to grab them when I leave. Do you need anything else from the house?"

"No. No, just my keys."

They lifted the stretcher into the ambulance, Roy following it in. Johnny handed Roy the equipment, closed the door, and slapped his hand on the back twice to signal the driver it was safe to leave.

Gage entered the house as the others pulled away, and began checking to be sure everything was turned off and closing the windows. As he headed back outside, he grabbed the keys from the hook and pulled the door shut behind him, making sure it was locked. He climbed back into the squad and started back down the driveway toward the main road, slowly making his way down the winding drive.

As he rounded the last curve, he saw a fleeting glimpse of something in the trees off to his right. He slammed on the brakes, trying to get a closer look, but the vision had disappeared. _Must have been a deer, _he thought. He continued on his way, stopping as he got back down to the main road. As he habitually checked to see if the way was clear, his eyes passed over the mirror on the outside of the driver's door.

He saw the reflection of something white moving behind the squad. As his eyes focused more closely on the mirror, he saw that the white was from a long flowing dress being worn by a beautiful, dark haired woman. He jerked his head to glance over his shoulder, but nothing was there. _What the hell?! Oh boy, Gage, your mind is playing tricks on you now! _He rubbed his eyes, blinked them several times, and checked behind him again.

Nothing was there. Shaking his head, he started the vehicle moving again. _Geez, been listening to too many of Chet's ghost stories_. He started to pull out onto the street, when he caught more movement in the rear view mirror. Again, it was the lady in white! He jammed the gear shift into park, hopped out of the squad and ran back down the driveway for a short distance. But she was gone. Again. He nervously glanced around him, but couldn't see anything.

"Hello," he said, his voice squeaking. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello, is somebody out there? This isn't funny. I know it's Halloween and all, but if you're out there, let me see you. You know, you nearly gave Mr. Mason a heart attack coming out of the woods like you did." _Not to mention the heart attack you just gave me._

Getting no reply, he slowly backpedaled to the squad. Looking around one last time, he jumped in, put the truck in drive and floored it. He debated telling Roy what he'd seen, but after the bit with the coffins, he didn't think Roy would believe him. And he certainly didn't want to hear the comments Chet might have on the matter.

When he got to hospital, Mr. Mason was entertaining everyone with stories of the ghostly apparition he'd seen. The story was, he was explaining, that the woman had been kidnapped when she was a young woman, by a band of Indians. But when some white men had found her several years later, she had become part of the tribe, in fact had insisted that she had gone with them willingly.

She had become a mother and was happy with her Indian husband, not wanting to leave the tribe and go back to the white man's world. One day the men came across her and her husband while they were walking through the woods. They again tried to convince her to return with them, and she again refused. The men had become insistent however, and in an effort to persuade her to join them, had become involved in a fight with her husband. He was injured during the fight and the white men dragged her away. Away from her children, her husband, and the tribe that was her family.

They returned her to her white family, but she wasn't happy. She tried to leave several times, to return to her husband and children. But they always found her and brought her back. Several weeks after she returned, her father planned to marry her off to a wealthy businessman. She ran away on her wedding day, back to the hills to try to find her tribe. But she died when she fell off

a cliff. And the legend was that she still roamed the hills looking for her family...her Indian family, wearing the simple white wedding dress her father had forced her to wear.

Johnny and Roy listened to his story. Roy chuckled at the idea of a ghost roaming the hills. And Johnny...well, Johnny was sure he'd seen her.

The rest of the night was relatively quiet. The kids had finally had their fill of candy and the parties were beginning to wind down. By 3 am it seemed that they would finally be able to get some sleep. When the squad pulled into the station after their latest run, everything was dark.

"I guess the guys are all in the sack," Johnny said.

"Which is just where I'm headed," Roy replied.

Roy walked toward the dorm, only to notice that his partner was still standing by the squad. "You coming, Johnny?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I think I'll watch a little TV. I'm not really tired."

"Suit yourself," Roy said. "Goodnight."

"G'night Roy." Gage wandered into the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of milk. He turned on the television and flipped through the channels, but there really wasn't much on, unless you wanted to watch some monster movie or horror show. He'd had enough of that already tonight.

So he turned off the set and carried his glass outside, standing in front of the station. It was chilly, but the sky was clear and he could see a lot of stars. He stood there for several minutes, relishing the quiet after such a hectic shift. He was looking toward the open field across the street, when he noticed something moving around. He squinted, trying to get a better look,

figuring it was probably an animal of some kind.

Suddenly, he realized it was a person. A woman. Dressed in white. A chill went down his spine and he felt the breeze begin to pick up. She was watching him, gesturing for him to follow her.

He swallowed and looked behind him, halfway expecting Chet to be standing there laughing his head off at his latest practical joke. But no one was there. When he turned back around, the woman was gone.

Rubbing his eyes, he stared into the field again, but to no avail. She wasn't there. He sighed. _Maybe it's time for some shuteye after all_, he thought. _My mind is starting to play tricks on me_. He walked back into the station.

As he turned back to close the doors...he saw her again, closer this time, close enough that he could see the sad expression on her face. He froze. She came closer. He wanted to run, but was mesmerized by her. She walked up to him, the long white dress fluttering in the breeze. She reached out a hand to caress his face and smiled. She moved her mouth, but he didn't hear any sound. He felt the hand on his cheek, a cold touch. He didn't expect it to be cold, and he pulled back away from it.

She appeared confused, then the sad look returned to her face. She turned away and quickly walked away from him, turning once to wave goodbye, then vanishing in a fog that suddenly came up from nowhere. He gazed into the smoky haze, but couldn't see her.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy there, Junior. What are doing out here?"

"Roy! You scared the hell out of me!"

"Sorry, Johnny. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Gage looked back to the field, the haze gone now, the night clear again. Quietly, whispering, he said, "I think I have, Roy. I think I have."

"What are you talking about, Junior?"

"Roy, didn't you see her?"

"See who?"

"Roy, it was the Lady in White," he said softly.

"Why are you whispering?" Roy replied.

"I don't want her to get mad at me."

"Mad...Johnny, you have truly gone off the deep end. Whatever, or whoever you saw, she's not there now. It was probably a friend of Chet's, playing a trick on you."

"No, Roy, it's the same lady from up at Herbert Mason's place."

"And how do you know that?"

"Well, ah...because..I, ah...I saw her up there, too," he mumbled.

"You what?" Roy asked, incredulous.

Taking a deep breath, Gage told his partner what had happened on the ride down the the hill. DeSoto, not quite sure how to respond, just turned his back on his partner, and shaking his head, walked into the kitchen. Gage followed him, trying to assure him that he wasn't kidding, that he really had seen the ghost of the Lady in White.

Roy started to fix himself a cup of hot chocolate, which was the reason he'd come out there in the first place. Now he was wondering if he should just try to get some sleep without the cocoa. They stayed up for another half hour or so, talking about the apparition that Johnny claimed to have seen...or thought he'd seen. Roy kept insisting it was a trick of Chet's, but Gage was convinced it was the real thing.

Eventually, they both headed to the dorm to get some sleep. But it was a restless sleep for John Gage. He kept seeing the woman in his dreams. She was following him, calling him Grey Eagle. And in his dream, he became Grey Eagle, running through the hills with the woman. He dreamed of the fight that took her away from her husband and saw her fall from the cliff. He was jolted awake by a cold wind. Opening his eyes, he tried to focus on something, anything in the room, but it was all very hazy.

Then he saw her. She was standing in the doorway, gesturing for him to follow her. He sat up in bed, staring at her, his mouth agape. She smiled at him and called out to him. He heard her this time.

"Grey Eagle, come with me," she whispered. "Come with me."

When he didn't move, she came closer, sitting on the side of his bunk. She reached out to touch him, but this time it was not a cold touch. Her hand felt hot against his cheek, like a flame that was too close. He closed his eyes, keeping them shut for several seconds. _When I open my eyes again, she'll be gone. It's only a dream_, he tried to tell himself.

But when he opened his eyes again, she was still there, still smiling down at him. She stood up from the bed and seemed to float toward the doorway. He got up and followed her. Again they were in front of the station, and the fog was back. She continued to move her hand, telling him to follow, but he stopped. She frowned at him, unsure why he wouldn't go with her. Then Johnny smiled softly at her, and pointed out across the field. She turned to look where he was pointing.

A man stood there. An Indian man. Tall, slender, with dark hair and dark eyes. He wore buckskins pants and boots, with a colorful band around his waist. And a single grey feather in his hair. Her face lit up at the sight of him. She turned back to Johnny, reaching up to touch his face again. Then she leaned in and brush his cheeks. He felt a small spark, like a jab of electricity. Then she turned away.

She joined up with the Indian man and they embraced. Then they turned and walked away, stopping once to look at him and wave. He waved back at them. Then the fog lifted and they were gone. He wasn't sure how long he stood there. He heard noises behind him and saw Chet and Roy walking from the bunkroom.

"Johnny, what are you doing up already?" Roy asked.

"Oh, nothing, Roy, just helping a lady find something she lost."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that the Lady in White won't be haunting the hills anymore," Johnny said, wistfully, watching the open field, and smiling. Then he turned and walked past Roy, headed into the kitchen.

Confused, Roy watched him walk away, curious about the cryptic statement. He turned and stared at the field across the way, hoping to find an answer there, but had no luck. _Junior, I don't know what happened, I'm not sure I want to know. But whatever it is, I'm glad you're so happy about it_.

Hearing Johnny and Chet start to argue about whose turn it was to make breakfast, Roy started in to the kitchen. Something made him turn around and he looked at the field again. His mouth dropped open at what he saw. An man, dressed in Indian buckskins was standing there, his arm around a woman with long dark hair, wearing a white dress. They both waved, then turned around and seemed to disappear.

Roy was still standing there with his mouth open, when he heard someone behind him.

"Did you see her this time, Roy?" Johnny asked him quietly, as he walked up beside him, and stood watching the field. DeSoto glanced at his partner, then back at the field. There was no one there.

Johnny just grinned at him and handed him a cup of coffee. Chuckling, he walked back into the station, leaving Roy to wonder if maybe ghosts really did exist after all.

THE END


End file.
